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Albums you do not get...a plea for help and understanding

So like most of you (I bet), I listen to tons of music.  But there are just some albums I never learned to appreciate.  I hope this thread can serve as a teaching tool.  I did not get Mingus at first but now he is one of my favorites.

Perhaps ending each post with, "What am I missing?" would be a good idea.

I will start with Graceland by Paul Simon.  Most of my friends call me crazy (still after all these years...OUCH that was bad) but I never desire to listen to this record.  I get the African influence and rhythm but it just does not impress me.  Alternatively when Peter Gabriel did the African influence thing I found it stunningly good. Paul Simon as a musician impresses me in his other works.  What am I missing?

bancsee
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larsman's avatar
larsman
1,797 posts
 

@bancsee - Yuppers!! That's the tour I saw them on, in Philadelphia, when they did that.... 

frogman
7,376 posts
 

Sure, we all have our preferences. However, something that adds a lot of value to the listening experience is to recognize that what drives the shaping of our own individual preferences is the willingness, or not, to always maintain a certain amount of humility in the process of taking in any art. IOW, approach new (to us) music without the expectation that it is its job to convince us. Try to get into the musician’s head instead and ask a simple question: “is it sincere?”. Of course, one man’s sincerity is another’s BS, but better to start out with an open mind.

”There’s only two kinds of music, good music…and the other kind” - Duke Ellington

….but, I’ve really tried, I agree about Springsteen.  I don’t get it.

 

frogman
7,376 posts
 

Great Steely Dan cut, danager. The great Chris Christlieb on tenor!

 

frogman
7,376 posts
 

Typo alert! Pete, not Chris, Christlieb.

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